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mattyb · Sep 22, 2009, 03:13 PM

I already went through a few reasons here. Its basically because neither HP, me nor the local Apple Reseller can get my f$€kin printer to work with my iMac. Some details here. It works with my MacBook using the same cables no problem. I have also tried different USB ports on the iMac. I have changed ink, I have done hard / soft / gentle and extra low calorie resets. Nothing has worked. And no I do not have a guarantee.

So, I want to completely wipe the internal hard drive of all operating systems/info/user prefs etc. on the iMac and then have Snow Leopard.

So, how should I do this? IIUC, I need to use the Leopard Install disks and then use Snow Leopard to upgrade. Is there no way to scrub everything with the Snow Leopard disks?

Spheric Harlot · Sep 22, 2009, 03:33 PM

You don't need to install 10.5 before installing 10.6.

Art Vandelay · Sep 22, 2009, 04:22 PM

Unless you got the $10 Up-to-Date SL disk. If you have that one, you need install Leopard first.

Spheric Harlot · Sep 22, 2009, 04:46 PM

Doesn't check either AFAIK.

Simon · Sep 22, 2009, 05:21 PM

Originally Posted by Spheric Harlot

Doesn't check either AFAIK.

Are you sure about that? That wasn't the consensus in this thread where one guy actually tried it himself.

mattyb · Sep 23, 2009, 04:55 AM

OK cheers, I'll be forking out for the box set, hopefully have it b4 the weekend.

Matt

ghporter · Sep 23, 2009, 07:14 AM

In the case of a standard install DVD, you boot from the DVD, use Disk Utility to wipe/flatten/steamroller/etc. the existing setup on the hard drive, then reboot (maybe not "necessary" but a good idea) and let the installer go. Any documents and such you want to keep will, of course, need to be backed up elsewhere, but you knew that.

Spheric Harlot · Sep 23, 2009, 09:57 AM

Originally Posted by Simon

Are you sure about that? That wasn't the consensus in this thread where one guy actually tried it himself.

'kay. Stopped reading that thread at some point, apparently.

Art Vandelay · Sep 23, 2009, 12:38 PM

Originally Posted by ghporter

then reboot (maybe not "necessary" but a good idea) and let the installer go.

Completely unnecessary and makes no difference.

mattyb · Sep 23, 2009, 01:39 PM

Originally Posted by ghporter

Any documents and such you want to keep will, of course, need to be backed up elsewhere, but you knew that.

Yeah pretty sure that I've got that covered : docs, music, pictures, movies and downloads are all copied onto another disk and the really vital stuff (photos of the kids) are also on DVD. Bookmarks and dmgs for downloaded software are also on external.

ghporter · Sep 24, 2009, 08:04 AM

Originally Posted by Art Vandelay

Completely unnecessary and makes no difference.

In theory it should make no difference. I'm not 100% convinced that there aren't buffers to flush, final table entries to write, etc. that a reboot, especially as fast as a Mac boots, would not at least be a neutral step. I try to always reboot after making a major change in a hard drive's structure because I don't trust everything to be completely finalized until then, whether it's due to the software or the hardware. Besides, what do you lose by rebooting after completely reformatting a hard drive? By rebooting a machine with a blank hard drive and an OS install disc in the optical drive, the installation process starts automatically...

Art Vandelay · Sep 24, 2009, 01:28 PM

Booting from a DVD is hardly fast. There's nothing to flush or finish up. If you're talking about the boot drive, then yes I can see your logic. But we're not talking about a boot drive. Everything is done right then and there.

ghporter · Sep 24, 2009, 09:43 PM

Disk Utility will completely finish wiping and reformatting the drive when you tell it to? After waiting for it to say it's completed, of course...

...and of course I was not thinking about the process I was discussing being run from the optical drive. I said it, but I didn't think it... Yeah, that's where the silliness came from alright. Oops.